Busy Halloween weekend expected for Steamboat police officers, taxis

Steamboat Springs  For the taxi drivers in Steam­boat Springs, Halloween ranks up with New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July as one of the busiest nights of the year.

“We pick up gorillas at Fifth and Lincoln and Superman at the Ghost Ranch,” Go Alpine dispatcher Sherryl Brown said.

Brown said Go Alpine, the town’s only taxi service, planned to have 10 drivers Friday night, 15 tonight and 10 on Sunday. On a typical Tues­­day, for example, there are three drivers.

“We’re going to remind them to have a little bit of extra patience,” she said. “And if they say they’re going to be at Ghost Ranch, stay at the Ghost Ranch.”

Brown said one of the most time-consuming parts of the night is rerouting drivers after passengers move locations.

“It takes longer if you call and say you’re at the Ghost Ranch and you’re really at the Tap House,” Brown said. “With that many drivers, I’m hoping we won’t have that problem. And the weather’s nice, so even if you have to wait, maybe it won’t be so bad.”

According to the National Weather Service, the low today is expected to be 31 degrees with a 60 percent chance of rain and snow. Sunday is expected to have a high of 47, with a low of 23 and a 20 percent chance of snow.

She also asked that people tell drivers what they’re wearing to help spot them in a crowd and to not call before they’re ready to leave the bar.

Steamboat Sp­­rings Police De­­part­­ment officer Bill Stucker said police will have extra patrols during the night but no checkpoints.

“You know, the past few years it hasn’t been that busy, so we’ll just have to see what happens,” he said.

Routt County Sheriff’s Of­fice spokeswoman Mellisa Baum­­­gartner said there will be deputies giving out candy at town events but no special plans for extra enforcement.

Steamboat Sp­­­­rings Transit busses will run as usual, and no extended hours are planned for Hal­­lo­­ween, a worker there said.

The last bus from downtown Steamboat toward the mountain and condos departs from 10:40 to 10:50, depending on the stop.